Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Morgan Three Wheeler & Super 3 Vintage tax disc

Tim -

DVLA now run on-line & by post, with no face-to-face local centres any longer, so if you buy a car they have now built a statutory grace period into the rules. I can't remember whether this is 7 or 10 days writing this, but if you buy from a dealer the paperwork will be done by them & if it's a private sale the onus is on you to tax from date of purchase but you will be allowed to use the vehicle during the grace period without penalty.

You get penalised more for failing to do something these days, such as failing to notify change of keeper, SORN etc.

It's only paperwork, but it's getting tighter.

I have read a story about insurance, too. The subject of the story sold his vehicle but the new owner didn't change any paperwork whatsoever, and as the subject had the vehicle as a second bike in his garage he simply let his insurance run it's course knowing he was a bike down.

The bike was involved in a hit & run crash leaving a third party injured, and subsequently received notification from the third party's 'cash for crash' legal team that they were about to make a claim against the subjects still valid insurance policy as that was the only one in existence.

The fact that the subject had no knowledge or control over any of this mattered not as the insurance policy was valid on the vehicle still, apparently.

Now whether this is internet scaremongering folklore or not I'm not sure, but it's food for thought about paperwork & documentation including the cancellation of policies or amendments.

The only losers of course, are honest people like us.

I have heard similar, but I think it was a car policy.

Regrettably the hoops to jump through increase, and I rather doubt it'll cause any sleepless nights to the criminal fraternity and the overwhelming amount of 'fines' will be awarded against honest folk who were not trying to commit offences. Just the same as the number plate rules.

You can still sell a car with a tax disc at the moment, but the changes are due in October and we'll have to see what is said then. Even a bear with very little brain (Winnie the Pooh) can see the scope for two tax payments running at the same time and the wrong one being cancelled.

Steve

What you say about insurance still running for a vehicle you no longer have is true. When I cancelled my two wheel insurance to buy the three wheeler Swinton told me I'd be liable if a claim was made & I had not cancelled. But if you did not cancel what could they do, put up your renewal but you are not renewing. Swinton charged me £27 to cancel even though there was 6 month to run. They then said they hoped they could be of assistance in the future, not snowballs chance.

Tim

So...it MAY be the case, and it does have a ring of truth, but how we as customers/consumers deal with this because it MAY just be a stealth tax from the insurance companies?

I'm darned if I'm going to stump up an admin charge every time I sell one of my bikes, just to try & stave off some obscure claim against a bike I don't own.

It's not right, I tell you..!!

Surely this cannot be right, it's a unnamed person on your policy. Normally Insurance companies look for any excess not to pay out and I can't see them swallowing these examples.

It is correct.

If a car has a valid insurance policy, if is in an accident, the insurance company is liable for 3rd party damage. So if you don't cancel, they have to pay. A consequence of a fairly recent law change.

Not every company is so tight as to charge you for a cancellation, and I suspect this is more common at the lower end of the market. NFU didn't charge me when I sold the Landrover. And actually gave me money back.

Trawl around the legal area of the Pistonheads forum for posts confirming this.

You will be fine as long as you change the insurance to a new vehicle. Its only when you cancel and take out new insurance with a new company for a different vehicle that you may get a cancellation charge.

Tim